How Emerging Female Artists Are Redefining The Art Landscape

The history of art is rich and fascinating, but even those with a passing interest in art will notice how scholarship, galleries and institutions are heavily biased towards the work of men. For example, until its recent revamp, the National Portrait Gallery in London featured a gender split of 88 per cent male artists and just 12 per cent female artists. 

As for the subjects of the portraits, only 25 per cent in the permanent collection were of women. There are many reasons for this state of affairs, including entrenched social and cultural systems that have undermined women’s access to art, and the power structures that support the art world. 

However, gender biases are being eroded, thanks to the dedicated efforts of many women who have paved the way for greater parity with men and equal status in the art world. 2025 feels like a particularly exciting time for female artists who refuse to be overshadowed any longer. They are bypassing the traditional structures of power to carve out their own space.

One of the most exciting emerging female artists at the moment is Carla Raads. She is one the contemporary artists who are reshaping the world of seascape and landscape painting with fresh perspectives. Carla grew up amidst the beauty and drama of the Eastern Cape coast of South Africa, and now practises from her studio in north west England. 

Her paintings are uniquely striking in their raw power and energy, which is the result of applying oil paint on canvas with her hands. Carla has an instinctive understanding of colour, texture and composition, and her bold seascapes and sunsets are as visually striking as they are evocative of the transcendental force of nature. 

If you would like to find out more about Carla’s art, please visit her website today.